News
Book early and save £100 on Dive Worldwide’s Four Kings Expedition
New to Dive Worldwide’s collection of expert-led small group adventures for 2017 is a Four Kings Expedition in Raja Ampat, a group of four remote islands sitting just off West Papua in Indonesia. Known as the Four Kings these islands are at the very heart of the coral triangle region and are a diver’s dream.
Join photographer and marine biologist Dr Richard Smith on a 10-night liveaboard adventure on the luxury S/Y Indo Siren to explore the finest dive sites of Raja Ampat, considered by many to offer the most spectacular and varied diving on earth. An expert in this region, Dr Smith will guide divers through the mind-boggling array of marine life to be seen here, with informal evening talks and expert advice on how to find, identify and photograph species.
Each day will consist of four dives, made up of three day dives and a sunset or night dive. Divers can expect to encounter enormous schools of fish and regular sightings of sharks, manta rays and turtles in addition to countless macro species and exceptional coral reefs. The region boasts over 500 species of coral, 1500 species of fish and 700 species of mollusc, ensuring its place as the epicentre of marine biodiversity.
Highlights of the week’s diving may include: Batanta Island, known for its exceptional muck diving; the dramatic underwater scenery and vibrant coral gardens of Misool; and exciting big fish encounters at the Dampier Strait.
Price: from £3,185 per person sharing, including 10 nights liveaboard accommodation on S/Y Indo Siren, all meals, up to four dives daily, complimentary Nitrox for certified divers, complimentary equipment rental (if required), the services of expert tour leader Dr Richard Smith and Sarong airport transfers. International flights are extra.
Offer details: Book by 25 November 2015 and save £100 per person
Date: 2 March 2017
Group Size: Max 15
For more information visit diveworldwide.com or call 01962 302087.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 3
Today we are diving one of the outer reefs from an inflatable. As we reach the bottom, a reef octopus eases its way into the cover of a small crack in the coral while displaying it’s incredible ability to change colour. They are arguably one of the most charismatic of reef dwellers and it is always exciting for me to simply hover and watch. I would have spent longer and waited for it to come and investigate me, but as dive time is limited we wanted to move on and find a turtle.
The waters around Somabay are well protected and hold a rich variety of marine life. The reef edges are thriving colonies of coral and shoaling fish, while nearer the sea bed plenty of wildlife is still to be found.
Then we located the turtles. They are very used to divers and so show little concern when slowly approached. In fact occasionally one will come over to see what you are doing. There is always huge excitement when diving with a turtle. The shear thrill of sharing a moment with another species.
What a fantastic way to finish a wonderful few days diving and I would like to thank SOMABAY, ORCA DIVING and THE BREAKERS for making my stay such a good one.
I had a great time, with diving everyday either on the house reef or on one of the offshore reefs by inflatable or larger day boat. Orca diving provided high quality equipment and facilities while the staff were all very friendly and welcoming. The Breakers was right on the coast with nice rooms, good food and once again friendly staff making the whole trip a real pleasure.
Soma Bay covers an entire peninsula and is home to several resorts as well as residential compounds.
As well as scuba diving, Somabay caters for many other sports and activities, and so is perfect for families as well as individuals and/or groups. And of course there is always time to lay peacefully on the beach under the Egyptian sun.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
Blogs
TRAVEL BLOG: Jeff Goodman Dives SOMABAY, Part 2
Day three of my trip to Somabay and we were spending the day on the Lady Christina and diving on the wreck of the Salem Express.
Diving wrecks for me is always one of mixed emotions. The excitement of diving a wreck is more than often tempered by the thought of loss of life when she sank. The Salem Express was a passenger ship and a roll-on/roll-off ferry travelling from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Safaga, Egypt. Most passengers were of poor class travelling home from their holidays while around 150 people were returning home from their pilgrimage to Mecca.
The ship struck a reef and sank within 20 minutes. Passengers were trapped below deck and the ship was filled with fear and panic.
The wreck area is strewn with personal belongings from the crew and passengers such as a transistor radio and a flat iron for clothes. A diver at sometime has put them in a prominent place to be seen.
Tragically only one life boat was launched while the others went down with the ship. More than 600 men, women and children lost their lives here.
It’s a stark reminder that the sea can be unforgiving and so when we dive on such wrecks we should do so with humble regard.
Returning to the surface, shoals of fish are gathered under our boat and seem to be welcoming us back into the light.
Back at the Breakers I sat in the dining area with a beer and a very good meal while my thoughts still remained with the day’s dive on the Salem Express.
Check in for part 3 tomorrow for Jeff’s last day of diving with Somabay on the off-shore reefs looking for turtles.
Book your next Red Sea dive adventure with SOMABAY! For more information, visit www.somabay.com.
Stay at the Breakers Diving & Surfing Lodge when you visit! For more information, visit www.thebreakers-somabay.com.
Find out more about ORCA Dive Clubs at SOMABAY at www.orca-diveclubs.com/en/soma-bay-en.
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